Improvement in harpoon-guns



'and the barrel.

UNITED y STATES- PATEINT IMPRov'sMENT INHARPOONLGUNS.. l

Specication'rorming part of Letters Patent-No. 81.190,dated. January To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known lthat I, THOMAS W.`ROYS, of Southampton, Long lsland, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Gun, which I denominate a ShouldenGun, to be discharged while resting on and not against the shoulder.v The chief use to which I propose to put this gun is to shoot bomb-har poons for the purpose of killing whales and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, refer# e'iice being had to the annexeddrawings, making part of this speeication, inwhichfifi-,Figure 1 is a longitudinal. section through my said gun. Fig. 2 is a view of a; harpoonbomb. Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the end f the shaft ofthe said bomb. v Fig. 4 is a frontend view. Fig. 5 is a back-end view. Fig. 6 `isa transverse section through the said gun and' rocket-case, showing the connection between the rocket which propels the bomb and the barrel which contains it, and also the oonnection between the lock and the detonating substance leading from it to the rocket.

To enable others skilled it the arts to which :my invention appertains to make and use the Name, I will pro 'eed to describe the construet'iion and operati` n thereof. Similar letters of reference represent correspending parts of the different figuresof the `drawings annexed.

I Fire-arms are divided into two great classesviz., smallarms and ordnance--thc first of which comprises such pleces as are aimed and -fired without the aid of a rest or carriage,

and the second such pieces as are aimed and tired with the aid of a rest or carriage. The iirst are used for throwing small projectiles,y and have hitherto been made to consist of three essentiaLparts-viz., the stock, the lock, They second are used to throw large rockets, shells, or shot, and are made to consist of simply the barrel-mounted on a carriage or rest, with sometimes a hammer fixed on the carriage or barrel. Both of these kinds of arms are used in the naval or marine service, and' also in the army or land' service New Yin; the use of thesetwo hipboard much greater n.shooting with the withthe latter, be-

Vcertainty in point of eiieet. v To unite in a single gun the meaus'of coml pleteeontrol and the capacity for throwing-z the gun completely under.l his"contro,'"`which enables him tov keep his sight bearing on the;l

object to be struck, notwithstag'ii "g thefree-Y tion of the vessel. In the 'usent-the second` class the same accuracy canntfgbfe attainelh because the gunner has' notvinch perfect control of the gun, as in this oasmiter thesight has been taken, if the vesselmov'es the sight" is lost and the shot is Without e'e'ct." A

For this reason this last classof arisiloses much of its eflciency at sea. t-'is nevrthefi less necessary to employ arms .of "this class whenever it is desirable to throw large rockets or shells, asin that case the other classgof` arms has not suiiicient caliber. The tiringy of` large rockets or shells, therefore, at sea has'l hitherto been attended with a great deai of unf lar'g'e'oekets weighing as high aseig'hteen or twenty pounds with accuracy, notwithstand# ing the motionof the vessel,'and withbu'tinjury to the gunner or any one standing near him, is the chief object of my invention.

To this end I make my gun wthoutgsteclr or carriage, making the baiel'rof siieli'shape and proportion as to balance on the shoulder of the gunner, and so arrange and combine a' lock therewith as to be within hisconvenient reach while so 'balanced on his shoulder, fromf whence it is to be ired. By this means the gunner is enabled to shoot a much larger and heavier gun with perfeetaeeuracy than he.

could if the gun were made with a stock to shoot from against his shoulder and supported pby his arms, as is nowthe practice. y

' The drawingsrepresent a rocket harpoongun for killing whales, for which my gun is more especially intended; but it may, ofcourse,

lbe used for other purposes.

The barrel oiitny gun is represented in' the drawings by A. It consists of sheetcopper vor other metal. lt is cylindrical inform, with shut op against the ienges, end thus open oi' close the hole the top part of the ienges. The object of these anges is to protect tile fece and person of the. gnnnez from the back lire oiftlie tolzet, This function these flanges Wonld i'nliili just well without tbe ,linie a. and mlvee C il es with them; ont itfdjt'llese flanges Weie made' blank all the Way around tbe bari-rel the gnnner could not take sight upon any object, thefnenges are botli be fore his ieee when tbe gun upon his shoulder. The beies a therefore ere cnt in the flanges that the gininer may telic sight, end the vulves G pin-cen beibie these holes tlm-t the efiieiencj," oi' the i'ianges pietectors may not be impaired, tlie Valves@ saving tile eiency of tlieilenges by closing np against them, which closing up is effected by the is- 4suing ot the ges through the Vent-hole c against tbe `:nlve as the rocket leaves the lia-rrel.

The Valve on the back iin/nge does not close unless the rocket bursts the barrel between the two iialnges in its'explosion.

libe Valves V may be dispensed with and' pieces ol" glass set in the iinnges for the gun-- ner to lool: through to take. sight; but tire valves, l think; are the best, es the refractory poweiD of the ginas is apt to deceive the sight.

. lbe point of the liarpoon is shown by D, and the bomb in which it is lined is shown by E, and. the cavity in the bomb to receive the powder is shown by F, The bomb is charged from `tbe front end through the opening' new closed bythe tail of the point D and the screw b,ti1e

point and Screw being removed to introduce the powder or other substance which tney cont pose tbc charge. Y

The rocket-cese is shown by G, in the back end of which ilieslinnl; or shaft of the llerpoen is screwed, siiewn by c. ln the center of the screw, which enters the beck end of the roclretvcnse, simil Ypriming-liole,d, is drilled to join', another hele, c, drilled inem the sur fece of fiile slinit to meet it. nearly at right en gies. -Qpposite tliis smell nele e, in the reet-of tbc rocket-ense, iiole is drilled in the gunonrrel directly over the lock, Fig. G, and nnder tile herinner thereof. Through-this hole in the barrel e small tube is inserted in the ptiniingiicle c, :ind in the seid tube the decounting substance is pnt, which ignites the rocket, and which is itself" ignited by tlic fellei the Denuncien the lcclc, the priming being eut by the liznnmer in its fell. lt is not thought necessary to show lock in 4the drewii1gs,isno particular lock is intended te be used. 'Any percussion-lock can be made to answer the purpose. Y Y

In the renrend oi? tile roelietceseiufen number of Smell holes, made (shown byj') :nld zu'- rnngied es sln'vn in Fig'. 6. llie object ol' these holes j is to nllcwtlie propelling power ci' the rocket te cscepe, so to telic elieet against the etniesplnere. 'lille i'nsc which ignites tile chai-ge in the bomb is placed in the mede in the iorln of a, hook, the point of which is shown by J. In this hook a. check-piece, z',- is arranged on a pivot, j. The sind checkpieee is kept down on the lower part of the bool; by ineens oi e spring, 7c, which is made to ect on the upper end of a, segment, Z, the lower end of which is fixed to the cheellbpiece i.

The point J of the hook is mcdeto move end rest in the bottom of the channel K, so j that when it is discharged from the' barrel of the gnu itcatclies under the bnr m of tlielink onto which the lineo is spliced, the ber m hef ing made to rest in the slot p, sc that the point oi' the hooli'ean `pass under it as it (the hook).

leaves the bei-rel, the herpoon moving with sufficient velocity to cause the link to pass behind the check i into the big'ht of the hook,

from whence it cannot escape until removed' by hand. The bar m of the link n is to be mede long and straight, to keep the harpoon from being foteed clemn through they whale, end the seid link is lield in its proper position by means of en Wooden pin, q, which is brokenY by thehook when the herpoon leaves the barrel. To the rear end of the barrel .are attached four rods, Nywhich project some distance bellind'tlxo end of the said barrel. These rods .are all joined in n. plate, P, with e hole in` the center, the plate and hole being of the, form shown in Fig. 5. This gure also illus.

trates the manner in which the rods nre attached to the said plate. The hole lnthis plete is made equal in diameter to 'the-inter nel diameter of the barrel, and is set directly eppcsite the end of the barrel, so that the liarpoon een be introduced in the barrrel tlmough t'nexplete The hole in the seid plete is'covered' by al valve, L, fixedto the upper part of tile seid plaie by a, hinge, so tllnt'it ennbe raised. np aigeinstthe upper rod, so :is toad-w init the lizirpoon, and then be shut down, so es teelose ille llolein the plete. The top and bottom rods have ears ci' lugs on each side of them, opposite encli other, through which the crotch-pin M: (shown in Fig. 7) is marde to pass, the pin being made to strddle the top and bottoni rod, :ind to receive a li1g,1',on the reni' end of the lmrpoonslinnk, through'whieh o, Wooden pin is passed, to keep the ilalrpoon from felling; ont of the lgun-barrel, which pin breaks when. the rocket is discharged.

Tile object in z'ittncliin'g;y the rods 'M to the reen end ol'l the barrel sind nnitingtlicir ends in e plete :and coveringl the hole -iii the plate nwith 'at vnlve is to prevent. the.v 170' issuing i'iointtllc rocket from passing *straight back nml lullin g any one tlnit may stand in the wey,

and at the same tineto provide-a proper es. A

anisog." f i .3'

cape for the fire and gas, which 'escape is formed in the opening between the rear end 0f the barrel andthe .plateon the ends of the rods.

It will be seen 'tli'at in. this l'invention there.

are two essential elements to be' accomplished:

First, tomake a gun so that a rocket can be fired therefrom without injury to .the gunner by the explosion orbaek-ire of.y the rocket, without obstructing his sight. This'element is accomplished by encircling the barrel with flanges B B, mede with valves in the manner described.

Secon to make' a gun of the laforesaid description from which rockets can be fired With-'- out danger of injuring any one that may stand in the rear *of the gunner. This elementis accomplished bythe use of the plate P and valve L -on lthe end 0f the rods N, and by means of the openingbetween the rods, the

plate, the valve, and the endof the barrel, all

of which arnounts to closing the end of the barrel and cutting lateral holes ythrough the' cylindrical surface near the end thereof.

' ."hese arethe essential features -vention. All the vother vpoints of n of my inovelty are three essential elements and their application to killing whales. v f i What I claim, therefore, asmy invention, and' desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

of minor. importance, and ygrow out these" 1 1. Encircling the barrel of the gun with one 'l or more transverse liianges, B, provided with valves G, for the purpose offprotectingfthe yface of the gunner, and at the v saine time en abling-him to take yhis sight.

2. lflaeing before the4 reareend of the barrel a stop to receive the back-fire of the rocket,

substantially as described, for thepurpose specified, Y

-3. The long barmacrossth'e top vofthe link n, to preventthe harpoon from beingforced -cleanthroughthe Whale; e I .K l 4. The' vent-hole o in .the front end ofthe4 

